PEORIA, Ariz.  For the second straight spring, Padres left-handed reliever Joe Thatcher has been sidelined early with soreness in his left shoulder.

Last spring, the injury resulted in Thatcher opening the season on the disabled list.

“Same place in the shoulder, but I think the circumstances are different this time,” Thatcher said Friday. “Last year we rested it and waited. This year they’re going to treat it pretty aggressively. I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue.”

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Thatcher said he started to “stiffen up” toward the end of throwing a batting practice session Thursday.

“It bothered me last (Thursday) night and felt worse this (Friday) morning,” he said. “My arm felt great all spring and I had never had any problems before last spring. But last year we didn’t know what was going on. This time, it seems just like a repeat of last year.

“This time we know what we have to do.”

Said manager Bud Black: “We’re going to slow Joe down just a touch. It’s better to be on the safe side.”

Glenn Hoffman hit

Padres third base coach Glenn Hoffman returned to the practice field less than an hour after being hit on the right side of his forehead by his own fungo bat in a freak accident during infield practice.

Hoffman and Brad Ausmus were hitting ground balls to infielders when Ausmus’ bat flew out of his hands and struck Hoffman’s bat. Hoffman’s bat flew back and hit him in the head.

Although he was prone on the field for more than five minutes after being struck, Hoffman said he never lost consciousness. He left the field under his own power and returned after resting in the training room.

“It was like a shock, I never saw a thing,” said Hoffman, who said the impact “left me woozy.”

Notes

•In addition to Thatcher, Juan Pablo Oramas and Craig Italiano are also sidelined with shoulder issues. With team physicians returning to camp Saturday (to conduct physicals on the 30 minor leaguers arriving early), Black said the three pitchers could be evaluated. Oramas believes his sore shoulder is just fatigue from pitching winter ball. Italiano had shoulder problems last season, was shut down and was moved from the 40-man roster.

•The Padres will play a five-inning intrasquad game Saturday starting between 10:45 and 11:15 a.m. (Arizona time) on a back field with admission free to the public. Ten pitchers will work an inning apiece with Dustin Moseley, Aaron Poreda, George Kontos, Jeremy Hefner and Colt Hynes working for one side and Simon Castro, Anthony Bass, Matt Lollis, Casey Kelly and Alexis Lara pitching for the other.

•After Tim Stauffer and Cory Luebke throw two innings apiece in Sunday’s scheduled exhibition opener against Seattle at Peoria Stadium, Luke Gregerson, Chad Qualls, Evan Scribner, Brad Brach and Randy Flores will each work an inning. But the forecast calls for rain.

•Wade LeBlanc is scheduled to work two innings Monday against the Mariners at Peoria and will be followed with one-inning stings from Luis Perdomo, Scott Munter, Greg Burke, Mike Adams, Samuel Deduno, Rob Musgrave and Ernesto Frieri. If all goes to plan, 25 of the 32 pitchers in camp will work during the next three days.